Thoughts on Life, Love, Politics, Hypocrisy and Coming Out in Mid-Life

Thursday, September 20, 2012

Women Are Key To Virginia Election Races

The latest polls show both Mitt Romney and Tim Kaine leading their GOP opponents. These numbers in large part are due to the gender gap with women significantly preferring the Democrat candidate over the 11th century loving Republicans. And both the GOP party platform and the Republican Party of Virginia's anti-woman jihad back in the spring during the last session of the Virginia General Assembly only help to push women away from the knuckle dragging Neanderthals and puppets of Christofascists at The Family Foundation who comprise today's Virginia GOP. A piece in the Washington Post looks at the role women will play in delivering Virginia this November. Here are highlights:

In a presidential campaign where women’s issues
have taken a more prominent role than many expected, the crucial swing state of
Virginia is becoming the Grand Canyon of gender gaps.

A new Washington Post survey indicates that President Obama
holds a 19-percentage-point lead (58 to 39 percent) among female likely voters
in the commonwealth yet is running six points behind Republican nominee Mitt
Romney among men who are likely to vote (50 to 44 percent). That support from
women is the reason the president now holds an eight-point advantage overall in
Virginia.

This year, however, ginning up female support has become an imperative for
Obama in his reelection bid. Across the electoral map, the Obama campaign is
banking on women to offset an expected loss to Romney among men.

In few places, if any, does that effort appear to be succeeding as well as it
is in the Old Dominion. That is in part a reaction to heavy-handed Republican
moves on reproductive issues, but it also reflects an apparent affinity that
women feel with Obama on economic concerns.

[T]he gender gap in Virginia is more than twice as big as the national one,
according to recent polling. The current numbers mark an even starker contrast
from the presidential election four years ago, when men and women in Virginia
voted almost identically in favor of Obama.

Support from women is also fueling the rise of Democratic Senate candidate
Timothy M. Kaine, who has moved into an eight-point lead over his fellow former
governor, George Allen (R). The difference with men, however, is not as
pronounced as it is in the presidential race: Kaine has a 15-point advantage
over Allen with women, and he is tied with men.

So why do men and women in Virginia see this year’s election so
differently? Democrats and their allies say that it is partly the result of what has
happened in Virginia since 2009, including an effort by Republicans in February
to require women seeking an abortion to undergo an ultrasound with a vaginal
probe.

Virginia legislators ultimately backed off somewhat, passing a version of the
bill that mandated a less intrusive procedure. But that was not until after the
controversy had produced a mother lode of material for late-night comedians —
and, some believe, cost McDonnell his shot at being Romney’s running mate.

“What’s different this year is that women see all this and say, ‘Oh, my God,
they are serious, and they might have the power to do this,’ ” said Dawn
Laguens, executive vice president of public policy and advocacy of the Planned
Parenthood Federation of America.

In The Post’s Virginia poll, Obama leads Romney by 22 points on women’s
issues — his single biggest advantage in the 10 issues tested. More than nine in
10 men and women alike say the economy will be “extremely” or “very important”
in their votes, but nearly six in 10 women say social issues, such as abortion
and same-sex marriage, will also be a factor. Fewer than four in 10 men are
focused on these issues.

It will certainly be ironic if it turns out the The Family Foundation and its GOP puppets through their religious based batshitery end up delivering Virginia to Obama and Kaine. Now that would be some Divine justice.

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Out gay attorney in a committed relationship; formerly married and father of three wonderful children; sometime activist and political/news junkie; survived coming out in mid-life and hope to share my experiences and reflections with others.
In the career/professional realm, I have merged my aw firm - Michael B. Hamar, P.C. - with Dillon Law group PLC and become affiliated with Liberty Title & Escrow Co.. I practice in the areas of real estate, estate planning (Wills, Trusts, Advanced Medical Directives, Financial Powers of Attorney, Durable Medical Powers of Attorney); business law and commercial transactions; formation of corporations and LLC's; and legal services to the gay, lesbian and transgender community, including birth certificate amendment.

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